ASCs playing bigger role in reining in costs

Editor's Note

As the Affordable Care Act continues to pass more costs to patients through higher deductibles and premiums, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are positioning themselves as cost-effective and convenient alternatives to traditional hospitals, the September 17 Central Valley Business Journal reports.

ASCs provide efficient, high-quality procedures, and discharge home all within a few hours of admission, getting about three quarters of the cost down. In addition, if patients stay in a hospital, there’s more likely a chance of getting an infection. In an ASC, patients are there such a short time, the chances of infection are lower.

September 8, 2015 TURLOCK - Surgery is big business. In 2009, Americans underwent 48 million procedures at a cost of more than $166 billion, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.